raleigh hotel

2/3 Bourbon (1 1/2 oz Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/3 French Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry)
1 dash Crème de Menthe (1/4 oz Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Picon (1/4 oz Torani Amer)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Saturdays ago, I honed my search for the evening's nightcap to the Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 book. There, I spotted the the Raleigh Hotel that reminded me a little of a Brooklyn in structure. The cocktail could be named after the hotel in Washington, D.C., that was well known for serving superb Gin Rickeys and Mint Juleps on its great mahogany bar during the book's era. Unfortunately, the hotel was razed, and the book provided no information about the drink name's inspiration.
Like a Mint Julep, the Raleigh Hotel greeted the senses with a mint and Bourbon aroma. Next, malt and white grape on the sip led into whiskey and dark orange flavors on the swallow with a minty and barrel-aged noted finish.